Points takes command in Omaha after 8-under 63

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OMAHA, Neb. -- D.A. Points, from Pekin, Ill., shot 8-under 63 in the opening round of the Cox Classic presented by Chevrolet to lead the way at Champions Run Golf Club.

Points holds a one-stroke advantage over Garth Mulroy, Vance Veazey, David Branshaw, Chris Kamin and Ryan Hietala at 7 under.

Colt Knost, David McKenzie, Dave Schultz and Kris Blanks are a further stroke back at 6 under. Eight players are tied for 11th at 5 under.

Badz/PGA TOUR

D.A. Points made nine birdies in the first round against one bogey.

D.A. Points

Round 1 statistics

STATS Rnd1 TOT RANK* EAGLES -- 0 N/A BIRDIES 9 9 1 PARS 8 8 T140 BOGEYS 1 1 T114 DOUBLE BOGEYS -- 0 N/A OTHER -- 0 N/A DRIVING ACCURACY 71 71.4 T27 DRIVING DISTANCE 302.5 302.5 T98 PUTTS PER ROUND 25 25.0 1 PUTTS PER GIR 1.400 1.400 1 GREENS IN REG 83 83.3 T17 SAND SAVES 100 100.0 T1

Points, who played his first U.S. Open earlier this year (tie for 69th), started on the back nine and made nine birdies plus a single bogey at his 11th hole where he missed a 10-footer for par. On his final hole, the 317 yard par-4 ninth, Points drove into a greenside bunker and easily got it up-and-down to finish at 8 under. His best hole, however, was the second hole he played.

"I had an 18-footer for par that broke six feet. The last two feet it went sideways, almost stopped, then trickled in," said Points. "That was big because, even though it was early in the round, it really kept my momentum going."

It was Points' lowest opening round at the Cox Classic by four strokes, but not his lowest round this year. How did his 10-under 62 in the second round at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic compare?

"I maybe hit it a little better in Canada....and it was one more birdie and no bogeys," said Points.

A good start at the beginning of the year with two top-10s in New Zealand and Australia had Points looking ahead.

"I came back from there and I was still playing well, no top-10s, but still good showings. The last few weeks have been a little shaky. The swing got a little out of kilter but I got it back on track and felt good going in to today. All in all, I did everything I was supposed to. I'm not used to holing 25-foot putts so when I make those it's an extra bonus for me."

Mulroy, a Raleigh, N.C. resident, had 28 putts in a bogey-free, seven-birdie round of 64.

"It was nice to go bogey-free. I haven't done that in a while," said Mulroy, who missed the cut in his only appearance here last year. "It may be an advantage to have played early as the wind is picking up and some footprints on the greens could make it tricky later today."

Veazey, from Memphis, Tenn., finished third at last year's Cox Classic. The three-time Nationwide Tour winner now has 10 rounds in the 60s at Champions Run. Two weeks ago Veazey shot four rounds in the 60s for a tie for sixth finish at the Price Cutter Charity Championship.

Bradley University graduate, Chris Kamin, has made one cut in seven events so far this season. He earned $5,830 for his career-best, tie for 19th finish at the Fort Smith Classic and is 187th on the money list. The 34-year-old Phoenix, Ariz. resident had a 15-minute wait on the ninth tee, his final hole.

"I hit a solid tee-shot but it bounced left and I was lucky to be in bounds," said Kamin. "I got a good break and turned it into a par -- almost made birdie. You sure don't want to give one back on that hole, particularly when you have a good round going."

Kamin's previous career-best round was 67 which he has shot three times this year.

Branshaw, from Tampa, Fla., made the turn at even par and then went ballistic. After an eagle at No. 10, Branshaw reeled off five more birdies to equal the back-nine tournament record, 7-under 29.

Hietala, 148th on the money list, played the last five holes 4-under par while Schultz, who was co-leader after the first round last week, shot 30 on the back-nine, playing the last six holes 5-under par.

Knost, a two-time winner this season, made three birdies on the front nine before an eagle at the 10th hole moved him to 5-under. Another birdie at No. 17 gave Knost 28 putts and a round of 65.

"I'm feeling pretty confident with the putter this week which is huge out here," said the former U.S. Amateur Champion who turned down invitations to this years Masters, U.S. Open and British Open when he turned professional. "I wasn't too happy with the way I hit it today but putting makes up for a lot. I guess I'm putting well because I'm hitting it closer."

Blanks, this year's winner of the Bank of America Open, shot his fifth round in the 60s in his third visit to the Cox Classic.

McKenzie's best finish this year is a tie for fifth at the Bank of America Open. A 16 greens-in-regulation round of 65 has the 41-year-old Australian in good shape to make his first Cox Classic cut in four attempts.

First Round News & Notes: Skip Kendall hit the flagstick with his tee-shot on the 317-yard par-4 ninth hole. Kendall holed the resulting tap-in for one of four eagles at No. 9 Thursday... The last nine winners of the Cox Classic have required a score of 20-under par or better for victory...Charles Soule (66) and Sebastian Fernandez (70) both made two eagles in the first round...Ty Tryon (79), the 24-year-old former teenage phenom, is in the tournament after successfully Monday qualifying for his first Nationwide Tour event this year. Tryon was a PGA TOUR member in 2002-03...Scott Gutschewski (69), an Omaha, Neb. native who won the Rex Hospital Open this year, played on a sponsor's invitation here in 2003, finished tied for 16th, and left the mini-tours behind...The first round scoring average was 70.064...The most difficult hole was No. 2 while the easiest hole was No. 17...Last week's winner, Bill Lunde (68), is tied for 30th.